Areas of Interest

"In 1989, there were 5,000 U.S. Army tanks in Germany. Over the next 25 years, there was a gradual drawdown of American forces in Europe. By 2013, the last American armored brigade based in Germany had deactivated, leaving zero U.S. Army tanks in Europe. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and a new iteration of an old rivalry set in. The United States responded with the European Deterrence Initiative which continuously rotates a U.S. Army armored brigade through Central and Eastern Europe under Operation Atlantic Resolve. Simultaneously, NATO responded with the Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup rotations in the Baltics and Poland.

Despite ongoing rotations, Poland's Defense Ministry recently requested an American armored division be permanently stationed on Polish soil. This controversial request has sparked intense debate in defense circles. Michael Hunzeker and Alexander Lanoszka's commentary captures the opinion of those who favor an expanded American presence in Poland. Alternatively, Michael Kofman cautioned against the Polish request and recently rebutted Hunzeker and Lanozszka. While the ongoing debate has focused on the issue of basing in Poland, it has neglected to discuss the option of basing in Germany. Based on valid concerns over a large American base in Poland, a middle-ground approach of an armored brigade based in Germany would maintain deterrence against Russia, improve NATO interoperability, and strengthen the Army's armored fleet readiness….."Main pagelink